Elizabeth Cassandra Mary Winsor. A golden-haired, blue-eyed girl. A princess from a kingdom on the Western continent. Now she wore an anxious expression as if she had just lost the most precious thing in her life.
What did she lose? It was her royal insignia coin that she had carefully kept in her dress pocket.
This morning, when she went to the lower city to look around while looking for breakfast, she brought her royal insignia to meet someone her teacher knew. They communicated via phone.
She wore her usual simple but classy white dress, and she kept the insignia in her pocket.
But unfortunately, her pocket had a hole, and now Elizabeth was bending over here and there early in the morning, asking passersby, "Did you see a gold coin fall?" And was met with headshakes.
"Master Alice will be furious with me..."
Elizabeth looked panicked, she kept searching until she met Sizhu, Qing, Yaoyao, and Mei Mei's group on the street.
"What are you doing, Elizabeth?" Sizhu asked curiously to Elizabeth, who was bending down, standing up, bending down, standing straight like a pecking chicken.
"Ah. Sizhu, Mei Mei!" Elizabeth smiled happily for a moment before her face returned to anxiety. "I lost my insignia coin. I was careless because I didn't check if there was a hole in my dress pocket. Can you help me find it? I'm sure the coin fell around here."
Sizhu and Mei Mei nodded. Qing and Yaoyao, seeing Elizabeth in distress, also helped search for the insignia coin whose shape Elizabeth described.
The coin was pure gold. One side showed the current Queen of England's head and the other side showed a lion holding a sword with a royal crown.
The five of them immediately checked every street corner, river, bush, tavern, shop, and every passerby, no matter who they were.
They searched for two hours, got quite sweaty, and decided to sit for a moment on a bench near the trees. Sheltering from the increasingly hot sun.
"Hah.. I'm so clumsy. I should have checked the contents of my pocket first before just putting that valuable coin in it." Elizabeth complained to herself. She looked gloomy.
"That's normal. Everyone sometimes makes mistakes because forgetfulness and carelessness." Sizhu said to comfort the gloomy Elizabeth. Qing and Yaoyao nodded cutely.
"Hehe, I just found out that a princess can also be clumsy. Usually, you look perfect inside and out, Lisa." Mei Mei chuckled softly, seeing that Elizabeth could also be clumsy. Elizabeth sighed briefly.
"Master said that coin would help me with an acquaintance here. That way I can prepare for a sure victory in final round of tournament tonight."
"Aren't you capable to reach the final with your own strength, Elizabeth?" Sizhu asked. Turning his face to Elizabeth, who was sitting next to Qing.
Elizabeth nodded slightly. "Consider it a guarantee for my victory. I always act with full conviction. Without it, I would be a little hesitant and anxious, and that would make me lose focus in the fight."
Sizhu nodded in agreement, even though he was the type to do things without much thought.
"Well, you don't need to worry too much about it, Lisa. After all, you're very strong, we've fought against the Arch Witch together and managed to survive. What could be worse than that?" Mei Mei said, shrugging.
Elizabeth smiled. She nodded slightly in agreement.
"Ah, you guys." A familiar voice was heard. Mei Mei, Elizabeth, and Sizhu immediately looked up towards the voice. "Nice to see you guys. What are you doing here?"
It was Reza, he wore round glasses and his usual clothes (a white shirt and long black pants) and smiled kindly.
"Hey Reza. Lisa just lost a gold coin and she's gloomy because of it." Mei Mei replied. Sizhu waved his hand briefly, happy to see Reza back.
Elizabeth nodded slightly. Confirming Mei Mei's words.
"Oh, a gold coin? Just a moment." Reza took something from his pants pocket. "You mean this coin?"
Reza showed a gold coin with a queen's head on one side and a lion holding a crowned sword on the other.
Elizabeth's eyes widened, surprised and happy to see the coin appear from Reza's hand. She nodded quickly in confirmation.
"Yes, that's the coin we're looking for." Elizabeth stood up and was about to take the coin from Reza's hand. Reza gave it back to its original owner.
"Where did you find this coin, Reza? We've been looking for almost two hours around here." Mei Mei asked curiously. Sizhu also nodded curiously. Just like the two little children beside him.
"I found it falling from the sky. It seems a hawk-pigeon took it and accidentally dropped the coin from its grasp, and it fell on my head."
All faces except Sizhu seemed to disbelieve Reza's story.
"Hawk-pigeon?" Mei Mei asked with one eyebrow raised suspiciously.
Reza nodded.
"It's a bird that likes to pick up small shiny objects." Sizhu replied. He often saw them recently while walking around Qincheng.
Elizabeth, Mei Mei, and Qing slowly said "oh". They just learned there was a type of bird with such a strange name living in the world.
"By the way, who are these two little kids?" Reza then squatted down while gently stroking Qing and Yaoyao's hair.
"They are my friends." Sizhu answered. "He's Qing, and his little sister is Yaoyao."
"Nice to meet you, Qing, Yaoyao. I am Sizhu's friend." Reza extended both hands warmly to Qing and Yaoyao. Inviting them to shake hands.
"Nice to meet you too, big brother Reza." The two little children shook Reza's hand with wide smiles.
Elizabeth, who had been busy searching and hadn't had a chance to meet Qing and Yaoyao, now also squatted down with her legs together and invited the two children to shake hands.
"Big sister forgot to introduce herself earlier. My name is Elizabeth. Nice to meet you, little Qing and little Yaoyao."
"Nice to meet you, big sister Elizabeth." Qing accepted Elizabeth's handshake.
"Bhig sistel Elizabeth is pletty." Yaoyao said adorably while accepting Elizabeth's handshake. Elizabeth chuckled at that. She gently stroked Yaoyao's head.
"Yaoyao is also pretty and sweet."
"Rheally?"
Elizabeth nodded. Yaoyao smiled widely, happy to be praised by a beautiful girl like Elizabeth.
"Now that the coin has been found. Where will you take it?"
Elizabeth stood up upon hearing Sizhu's question.
"Ah, right. Before that, I am very grateful to you all for helping me find this coin. I will repay your kindness."
"How about treating us to lunch, Lisa? It's already noon and that seems like a good idea, doesn't it?" Mei Mei suggested. Sizhu nodded in agreement. Hearing the word food made his hungry.
"Alright, I'll treat you all to lunch. After I meet someone first." Elizabeth smiled elegantly while nodding in agreement with Mei Mei's idea.
"Do I come along?" Reza asked hesitantly, pointing to himself.
"Of course, you're the one who found the gold coin, Reza."
After that, the six of them walked to the small town center below the academy, accompanying Elizabeth to meet her acquaintance.
In a place that seemed to be an inn, on the ground floor made for drinking. Elizabeth met her acquaintance, who was none other than Amon. He was enjoying coffee while waiting for someone his uncle had told him over the phone to wait for downstairs at the inn.
"Amon?"
"Elizabeth?"
"So... you're the acquaintance master Alice meant?"
"So uncle told me to wait here to meet you?"
In short, they discussed cooperation for the final round of the Zhan Dou tournament, but Amon refused. He preferred to fight with his own strength, and that annoyed Elizabeth.
After they finished, they decided to have lunch first.
Seven people now, they went to the nearest restaurant to Amon's inn.
There was Jason, whom Mei Mei knew, who had just finished eating. And the big, heavily bearded Baldur, whom Sizhu and Amon knew, sat at a table near the window with plenty of empty bowl stacking. Besides them, there was a short man with dark pink hair tied in a ponytail, whom Sizhu had seen in last night's duel, and a girl wearing a temple priestess outfit, whom Reza recognized.
As soon as they sat down and ordered food, a honey-brown skinned, short black-haired girl with her large cat entered the restaurant. Seeing Qing and Yaoyao's faces, the girl immediately approached them.
"Ah, you two kids, and Sizhu. Nice to meet you here."
At the large restaurant table, where each table had four chairs facing each other, Imara approached Sizhu and the siblings.
One table had Qing and Yaoyao sitting side by side, and Mei Mei and Sizhu across from them.
At the next table, Amon and Reza sat side by side, and Elizabeth sat alone across from them. They turned to Imara and her cat, who had come to greet Sizhu.
"Um.. who?" Sizhu tried to remember. He had forgotten.
"Sister Imara, Sister Imara Nzinga." Qing reminded Sizhu. Sizhu nodded, remembering.
Imara smiled broadly. "What a coincidence we meet here. It seems you made it through the second round, just as I expected. Good job! We'll fight in the final later, Sizhu! I'm really looking forward to it!" She said in an enthusiastic tone. "And we'll also fight in the final later, princess!" Imara then turned to Elizabeth. They looked at each other and Elizabeth nodded stiffly.
"Um.. yes.. I'm looking forward to the fight tonight."
"May I sit in that empty chair? I've always dreamed of sitting next to the princess and having lunch with her." Imara expressed her daydream wish.
Elizabeth hesitantly nodded with an awkward smile. "Sure.."
Imara sat next to Elizabeth. She kept her enthusiastic smiling face on. She seemed very keen on Elizabeth.
"I saw the princess's duel last night, and it was so beautiful. The princess's final slash was so graceful and enchanting. I've never seen such a beautiful and enchanting slash."
"Um.. just call me Elizabeth."
"Elizabeth? All right, Princess Elizabeth. I also study sword techniques. But my sword techniques are not as good as yours, Princess Elizabeth. You are truly skilled in swordsmanship. I wonder who Princess Elizabeth's master is and what kind of training you went."
"It seems Lisa just got a fan." Mei Mei giggled, seeing Elizabeth awkwardly answering the active and non-stop talking Imara.
Meanwhile, her cat, Nyanko, was comfortably being petted by Qing and Yaoyao, who were curious about the large cat.
Amon and Reza said nothing but watched and listened to Elizabeth and Imara's conversation. The same went for Sizhu, who was staring at the food pictures on the menu board with drool dripping.
They all had lunch together in the restaurant, which was quiet except for the thirteen young people. Including Gui, who sat in the corner of the restaurant, watching them.
***